A Custom-Ordered Amortentia
by doctoring
Summary: Draco's curiosity is piqued when Hermione struggles to describe the smell of the amortentia potion. But when she finally manages to do so at the end of class, Draco makes it his personal mission to find the source of the scent, learning a few surprising things in the process. / Takes place during their sixth year. / Sequel to "Homework Help"


_A/N:_ This is a sequel to "Homework Help," the forth in what I call the "Potions" series. Also, finally some Draco POV.

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When Hermione Granger smells the Amortentia potion, she describes it as freshly mown grass, new parchment, and then her voice waivers, hesitating on the next word that never comes out.

The professor eventually moves on as Hermione struggles to say whatever the third scent was, if there was a third scent. Because of her face and the blush gracing her cheeks, people in the class started whispering about the possible third scent, many coming to the conclusion that she was embarrassed about it.

Draco was one of them, believing that Granger couldn't bring herself to admit whatever it was that strikes her fancy. But instead of just the morbid curiosity as to what could embarrass the wizard, Draco was also a bit concerned, wondering if there was _someone_ related to that scent. Someone like Draco. Or on the more fearful side of the spectrum, someone unworthy of Granger's affections.

As they continued to work in class, Draco convinces his group to move cauldrons, so he could be closer to Hermione's group. In doing so, he was able to overhear the conversation they were having. Ron was teasing Hermione, clearly flirting with her, and Draco couldn't be more disgusted.

"It was me, wasn't it?"

Hermione scoffs. "Whatever would give you that impression!?"

"Come on. Just admit it." Ron leaned in closer to her, but Draco could still unfortunately hear him. "You smelled something else and it was obviously related to me."

Hermione shoves him away gently. "All I can smell from you right now is quidditch practice. Why can't you shower before coming to class!?"

Draco grimaced just as much as Hermione did as Ron shrugged.

"Seriously, what else did you smell."

Draco kept sneaking glances as Hermione struggled to respond, not saying anything for quite some time. Eventually, he snaps his head towards her when she finally speaks. "It was just really hard to describe. Freshly mown lawn and parchment are distinct smells, but this… this was different. It was a little familiar, but I'm not sure how I know the scent."

"Different? How?"

"It was almost as if it wasn't just one scent, but a mix of things. It was as if several scents were combined into something more uniform, that I couldn't quite recognize, and that concerned me."

"Well, what was it like? Could you describe the individual scents that made it up?"

Hermione shakes her head. "I cannot. It just…" Hermione snapped her head towards Ron. "How can one of the scents in Amortentia be something I don't know? That doesn't make sense."

"This is going to bother you for the rest of the day, isn't it?" Harry teased her.

"For the rest of the semester, more likely," she said with exasperation.

Draco understood her pain, having a sudden need to know what this mysterious third scent might be, and what it could mean for him.

Later in class, Ron attempts to bring it up again, while asking about other potions, claiming he wants to review the topics from that day. Draco rolled his eyes before Hermione replied. "I know what you're doing, and it has nothing to do with 'being prepared for exams' like you claim. I'm telling you, I do not know that scent, or how to describe it, so just drop it, Ron!"

The professor was standing nearby when this happened. "No, no… that's actually a good idea. Work with your groups to review during these last few minutes of class."

Draco scoffed along with half the class.

He barely paid attention to the review, his group soon leaving him out of it altogether. Eventually, Draco's disregard for his academics paid off.

"Okay… fine… there were… different notes. Like with perfume or cologne. Actually, it does remind me a lot of cologne, with the chemical base I typically hate, but there were… there were floral notes and rustic notes covering it. It was a nice blend. Actually… if it _were a cologne_, it would be a nice one, reminding me of cabins in fields of lilac and other summery flowers."

Draco choked on his spit, coughing profusely.

_She can't be serious. That's… that's almost _exactly_ like the cologne I've been using for the past year… Either it's me, or someone insignificant is using the same cologne as me…_

For the last minute in class, the professor allowed the students who didn't smell the Amortentia potion earlier to get a whiff right now. Draco turned his head away, scoffing, before leaving the room.

He refused to smell the Amorentia, not because he didn't believe in love like the other Slytherins were claiming as he left the room. He was afraid of what it might smell like, or what it might _not_ smell like.

Crabbe questioned him about it later and Draco faked a sniffle. "I'm a bit stuffed up, so there's no point. Can't smell a damn thing anyways."

And with that, the matter was dropped.

However, there was still another issue at hand. The fact that Draco didn't know who else might be wearing his same cologne, and who this person might be to Granger. He makes it a personal mission to go out and figure out who else in Gryffindor, or Hogwarts, uses that cologne.

His first immediate suspect was Ron and he feels repulsed by the thought of smelling just like him. He chokes down his disgust before going to investigate.

When he walks into the great hall, suspecting he would be there stuffing his face as usual, he's greeted by a sight that only increased his disgust. Ron was leaning over, kissing Hermione on top of her head. Draco felt a strong pang in his chest he couldn't quite describe. And when it wouldn't leave, he ends up storming off to his room.

Draco had only used the cologne for special occasions or when he felt the need to prim up a bit. However, he hid it in his trunk a few days after the Amortentia lesson, not wanting to wear it just in case.

Eventually, he decides to break it out, since he's been a bit lonely and wants to persuade a 5th year into snogging or whatever else he can get away with. He honestly didn't care what, as long as it didn't involve any commitment or communication after that night.

As he makes his way down the hall, he stops just outside the library to check his attire, making sure he looked his best in order to properly seduce his target. As he adjusts his tie, the door to the library opens in front of him. But no one walks out. Draco stands there a bit shocked, almost being hit by the door, and waits for the culprit to reveal themselves.

"What's the matter?" Draco hears Harry's voice.

"That's it! That's the Amortentia smell again."

Draco quickly darts away, breathing hard in his panic. He hears her mumbling something about the scent disappearing. Draco rushes to his room, abandoning all thoughts about finding someone to fool around with that night. He ends up spending the rest of the night just thinking about Hermione.

He started thinking about her more and more as the years progressed, being disgusted with himself. But more recently, he's done it intentionally. He's grown to wanting her, his feelings so strong he can do nothing but get angry about it and suppress them. And as the want grew, it became harder to ignore. But he could do nothing else about it anyways, unable to act on the want. He was held back because they are from two completely different worlds, with two completely different understandings of how the world should work. And though his attractions are causing him to become more okay with that, he's not sure where she stands with it, if she could ever be okay with his history, or any lingering world view he may hold.

He thought all he can do was try to be nicer, try flirting once in a while too, but most days he feels like giving up. But as he replays Hermione's comment about the Amortentia smell, he's filled with a renewed hope, know that it's not just similar, but it _is_ the scent she had smelled and struggled to describe.

He doesn't know who else wears the same cologne as him, but his mother did say it was one-of-a-kind and extremely pricey.

_That's gotta increased my chances… right? Limit the number of students who could possibly be wearing the same cologne as me._

A few days later, Draco struggles with the decision to wear the cologne before class, trying to deny that the reason for it being that he shared two classes with Granger that day. But during this internal struggle, Draco notices he hardly has any cologne left, the bottle becoming quite low this past year. He quickly scrawls out a note to his mother, asking where she got the cologne, and saying he needs more. He sends it out between classes, and immediately feels impatient that a reply didn't appear within moments.

There's no reply for two days, and Draco's impatience only increases. In the meantime, he thought about rationing it out some, until he could procure some more, but decides against it. Between Hermione's Amortentia description and news from the Death Eaters about a life-altering task he must perform soon, he figures the best bet is to pretend like there is no tomorrow.

_Afterall, there might not really be a tomorrow._

Draco does get a reply from his mother eventually. He opens the letter in a haste, eyes skimming past the hidden message about his Death Eater duties. He gets to the PS at the bottom and reads.

_As for the cologne, I'm afraid it will be hard getting a new bottle anytime soon. It was a specially made formula. I wasn't exaggerating when I said it was one-of-a-kind._

Draco sat down hard, dizzy from his hopes soaring and his heart sinking. He felt a whirlwind of emotions. He was stressed that Granger, a muggleborn, clearly has an attraction to him according to the Amortentia. But he was elated as well.

_Does this mean that blasted muggleborn loves me back?_

Draco falls back onto his bed, covering his face with his arms until he bolts up.

_Love? Did I just… No… No I didn't…_

Draco stands and paces the room in a panic, he tries to sort his thoughts until he finds himself grinning broadly.

_It was me. Granger… it was me… I've been pining all this time, but turns out… she might feel the same, perhaps. At the very least, she's attracted to me enough to smell my cologne in the Amortentia._

He checks the main room of the Slytherin dorm before slinking back into his bedroom. He quickly locks the door before pulling out an oversized sweater from a box under his bed. He pulls on the sweater and lounges across his bed again.

He toys with the hem for a minute, before running his hands up and down the sweater, thinking of Hermione. Soon, he's scrambling to undo his pants. He sighs out heavily as he reaches into his underwear and grasps his growing member. He pants softly to himself as he starts slowly stroking his cock, teasing himself by running his thumb on the underside of the head, exploiting that sensitive spot that makes him shake a little. He uses his free hand to grip his chest, bunching up the sweater in his fist, as he starts spreading the precum around the tip.

Draco then slides down the bed a little more, until he's lying flat. He starts jerking off furiously, breathing harder. He takes his other hand and muffles his mouth as he feels moans trying to escape, the cuff of the sleeve pressing against his lips. He thinks of Hermione, her long hair, her delicate looking skin, the way her hands and fingers move with the wand when casting a spell. He imagines her lips, and how soft and warm they would feel on his skin. Draco groans against his palm and bucks up into his fist, getting closer to an orgasm.

He only stops to pull up the sweater, to his chest, as far as it would go, to get it out of the way. He immediately resumes pumping his shaft and brings his other hand down to tease his tip, still leaking a bit. A few more hard strokes, Draco finds himself ejaculating across his stomach, a soft whimper escaping from the back of his throat. He lets his hands fall down to the side, as he tries to catch his breath.

Once he gets himself cleaned up and redressed, he lounges back onto his bed again. He unconsciously toys with the cuffs of the sleeves before pulling the collar up to his face. He sits there for a moment, before breathing in deeply. He yanks the collar of the sweater back down and frowns at how stale it had smelled.

Draco looks down at himself. When he first received this sweater, it was a bit large on him. But he's grown these past two years, so it's not as oversized as it once was.

Time was good like that.

But time was also bad to the sweater.

_Maybe I should have smelled that Amortentia potion after all._

_I can hardly remember that sweetly vanilla scent on this jumper when Granger left it with me two years ago…_

-the end-

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_A/N_: There's one last story in this series currently in the works, so keep your eyes out for that.


End file.
